Politicians to 'shadow' RNC at Annenberg

Though thousands will travel to Philadelphia for the Republican National Convention at the end of the month, another kind of convention -- led by those who denounced the official RNC -- will settle at Penn for the convention.

The alternative "Shadow Convention 2000: A citizens Intervention in American Politics" will parallel the RNC from July 30 to August 4, broadcasting right from Penn's own Zellerbach Theater in the Annenberg School. The shadow convention will also use several other venues within the Annenberg Center and possibly the Annenberg School.

Celebrity-columnist Arianna Huffington, one of the organizers of the shadow convention, said that the convention was designed to focus on the issues that the major political parties won't be discussing during their national conventions.

"The parties' addiction to massive doses of campaign cash has distorted our policy priorities and led to the neglect to critical issues," she said in a press release. "The Shadow Conventions are a citizens' intervention to give voice to millions of Americans currently shut out of the national debate."

Arizona Senator John McCain will kick off the event on the night of July 30, and Jesse Jackson and former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken are among those confirmed to turn out for the alternative event in Philadelphia. The convention aims to draw attention to poverty, the war on drugs and campaign financing.

Director of Housing and Conference Services Staff Jeff Barta said that the convention's stated goal, to challenge the status quo and conventional thinking, was in line with the goals of an academic institution like Penn.

"From a thinktank persepctive, it does fit with Penn's kind of on-the-cutting-edge type of rigor," he said. "There's a similarity there."

Huffington, along with several other organizers, announced their plans to discuss, debate and parody the RNC at Penn from a table outside the popular White Dog Cafe on Sansom Street.

Each day during the shadow convention, organizers will hold public sessions on one of the three targeted issues, featuring speeches by activists, academics and politicans. Organizers said in a press release that they will also streamline live video from the RNC.

"One theme we will emphasize throughout the evenings is the effectiveness of satire and parody as a tool of public advocacy," the press release said.

A similar shadow convention is planned for the mid-August Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Los Angeles.

According to Barta, the convention will help Penn gain national attention during the convention.

"It will absolutely gain media attention," he said. "I think there's a fair amount of attention that Penn can garner just from media being here on campus."

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